Method and means for stuffing natural casings with sausage emulsion

ABSTRACT

A method of stuffing natural casings with emulsion involves placing a follower against an upstream end of the natural casing to slide the natural casing forwardly along a hollow meat stuffing tube. The follower is mounted on the stuffing tube and advances the natural casing towards a discharge end of the stuffing tube, where sausage emulsion is injected into the natural casing. The follower pushes the filled casing through a hollow conical-shaped restricting device adjacent the discharge end which limits the outer diameter of the filled natural casing to ensure the uniform shape of the casing as it enters the twisting mechanism. The follower is connected to a longitudinally movable shaft that is parallel to the stuffing tube. A machine includes the foregoing components to accomplish this method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, sausages have been made by filling the natural intestinesof sheep or other animals with a sausage product whereupon the fillednatural casing was formed into links for cooking. In more modern times,sausages are predominantly made by introducing an emulsion into anartificial casing, which encases the sausage material through linkingand preliminary cooking. Machines for making sausages with artificialcasings have a high volume capability (up to 30,000 sausages per hour).Efforts have been made to use these high-speed machines with naturalcasings. However, because of the nature of the natural casings includingtheir relatively shorter and variable length and non-uniform diameter,modern sausage encasing machines have not achieved the volume andcapacity with natural casings as they do with artificial casings.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,580 to Hergott et al. discloses a method and meansfor stuffing natural casings with sausage emulsion. Hergott et al.teaches the use of a slidable collar 28 that works in conjunction with asensor 24A to position a natural casing 32 about the stuffing tube 14.As the natural casing 32 is stuffed with emulsion, collar 28 advancesthe natural casing 32 towards the twisting mechanism 16, which preparesthe natural casing 32 for linking.

One disadvantage with conventional methods of stuffing natural casingswith sausage emulsion, such as that taught by Hergott et al. above, isthat the natural casing, as it is being stuffed with emulsion, does noteasily advance towards the twisting mechanism. Typical methods will pushthe natural casing towards the twisting mechanism, which may cause thenatural casing to become shirred as it approaches the twistingmechanism.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a methodand a machine for encasing sausages whereby the natural casing isuniformly shaped when stuffed with the sausage emulsion.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method and a machinefor encasing sausages whereby the natural casing is advanced on thestuffing tube by a follower mounted on the stuffing tube and movedlongitudinally by a longitudinally moving shaft connected thereto.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of stuffing natural casings with emulsion involves placing afollower against an upstream end of the natural casing to slide thenatural casing forwardly along a hollow meat stuffing tube. The followeris mounted on the stuffing tube and advances the natural casing towardsa discharge end of the stuffing tube, where sausage emulsion is injectedinto the natural casing. The follower pushes the filled casing through ahollow conical-shaped restricting device adjacent the discharge endwhich limits the outer diameter of the filled natural casing to ensurethe uniform shape of the casing as it enters the twisting mechanism. Thefollower is connected to a longitudinally movable shaft that is parallelto the stuffing tube.

A machine includes the foregoing components to accomplish this method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sausage making machine showing theconventional components, as modified by this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the present invention showing theforward end of the stuffing tube with the follower and the shaperestricting device adjacent the twisting mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The term “emulsion” as used herein includes meat or any other ediblesubstance.

With reference to FIG. 1, a conventional sausage making machine 10 has aframe 11, a pump 12 connected to a source of emulsion (not shown), ahollow meat stuffing tube 14 with discharge end 14A, a twistingmechanism 16, a linking mechanism 18, a discharge horn 20, and aconveyor 22.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a follower 24 is shown to advancenatural casing 26 about hollow meat stuffing tube 14. Follower 24 isslidably mounted about stuffing tube 14. A driving shaft 28 is attachedto follower 24. Shaft 28 is driven by a servo motor (not shown) orsimilar devices as is common in the art.

A conical shaped restricting device 30 is mounted about the dischargeend 14A of the stuffing tube 14. Conical shaped restrictor 30 has asmaller diameter end adjacent the discharge end 14A of the stuffing tube14 to decrease the diameter of the natural casing 26 as it is beingslidably moved towards the discharge end 14A of the stuffing tube 14 andthrough twisting mechanism 16. Restrictor 30 may be adapted to rotateabout discharge end 14A as follower 24 pushes the natural casing 32towards the twisting mechanism 16.

In operation, natural casing 26 is positioned about stuffing tube 14.Follower 24, driven by shaft 28, slides about stuffing tube 14 towardsthe discharge end 14A, thereby pushing the natural casing 26 towards thetwisting mechanism 16. As natural casing 26 moves towards the twistingmechanism 16, it engages with conical shaped restricting device 30.Restrictor 30 limits the outer diameter of the natural casing 26 suchthat it is of a uniform diameter as it is filled with sausage emulsionand enters twisting mechanism 16. Follower 24 pushes the natural casing26 through the restrictor 30 and advances it towards the twistingmechanism 16, where the natural casing 26 is linked in conjunction withlinking mechanism 18.

It is therefore seen that by the use of a shape restricting device and afollower, this invention permits the smooth advancement of naturalcasings during the emulsion stuffing process to ensure the uniform shapeof the casing as it is filled with sausage as it enters the twistingmechanism.

1-4. (Cancelled).
 5. A method of advancing a natural casing along the length of a hollow meat stuffing tube, comprising, placing a hollow natural casing on the outside surface of a hollow stuffing tube having a meat emulsion discharge end, placing a follower against an upstream end of the natural casing to slide the natural casing forwardly along the stuffing tube towards a discharge end, and placing a hollow conical shaped restrictor on the stuffing tube with a smaller diameter end adjacent the discharge end of the stuffing tube wherein the conical shaped restrictor is rotatable about the stuffing tube to decrease the diameter of the natural casing as it is being slidably moved towards the discharge end of the tube.
 6. A machine for stuffing natural casings with emulsion, comprising, a hollow meat stuffing tube on the machine having a first end and a discharge end for extruding emulsion into a natural casing on an outer surface of the stuffing tube, a follower slidably mounted on the stuffing tube adjacent an end of the natural casing nearest the first end of the stuffing tube, a longitudinally movable shaft that is parallel to the stuffing tube and connected to the follower and drives the follower longitudinally about the stuffing tube, thereby pushing the natural casing towards the discharge end of the stuffing tube as the casing is filled with emulsion, a conical shaped restrictor mounted on the stuffing tube with a smaller diameter end adjacent the discharge end of the stuffing tube to decrease the diameter of the natural casing as it is being slidably moved towards the discharge end of the tube, and wherein the conical shaped restrictor is rotatable about the stuffing tube. 